Chapter 445 Su Jiao Wants to Go Solo

Chapter 445: Su Jiao Wants to Break Away

Zuo Shangdang ran toward the Huangsha River like a man possessed, panting heavily. By the time he reached the riverbank, he was on the verge of collapse, but he ignored the sweat pouring down his face and frantically scoured under the bridge.

Nothing.

Nothing.

He ran to the other side, dodging around the thick support beams—still nothing.

The memory of the four fingers Zuo Zuying had placed in his palm sent adrenaline spiking through him. He tore through every corner beneath the Huangsha River bridge, even rummaging through the dried weeds.

Nothing.

"Jin'an must be in trouble—he must be!"

Zuo Shangdang was babbling incoherently now. The ring on that finger belonged to Jin'an, and Jin'an had indeed gone out last night and never returned.

Zuo Zuying had lied to him.

At this moment, Zuo Shangdang finally faced the truth.

Zuo Zuying wasn’t just reckless—he had mistaken his son’s erratic behavior for just childish antics, but in reality, he was a demon.

At the Longxiang Mansion Phase II construction site, workers clocking in frowned at the scuff marks on the ground. Then, hearing noises from the warehouse, they immediately suspected thieves had broken in.

One worker exchanged a glance with another before sneaking toward the warehouse.

As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw the door wide open.

"Shit, we’ve been hit!"

The two rushed inside, only to find Lu Jin'an lying motionless on the floor, half-dead.

Lu Jin'an, clutching to life, was quickly rushed to the hospital.

On his way back from the Huangsha River, Zuo Shangdang happened to bump right into the workers transporting Lu Jin'an.

"Lao Gai, betcha thieves took advantage of the storm last night to break into our site. Foreman Lu probably walked in on them, and they fought. That’s why he’s so badly hurt," Lao Liu speculated.

Lao Gai nodded solemnly. "I think so too. We should report this to the police—this is bad news. Those thieves are getting bolder."

Zuo Shangdang paled and hurried over. "Lao Liu! Lao Gai!"

Lao Gai brightened at the sight of him. "Zuo-ge! What are you doing here? All hell broke loose at the site—this morning, we found a guy drenched in blood in the warehouse. The door was smashed open. We don’t even know what’s missing yet..."

Zuo Shangdang cut him off. "Skip that—who was in the warehouse? Was it Jin'an?"

Lao Liu pulled Lao Gai aside. "Zuo-ge, the guy was a mess. Wang Qi from the site identified him as Foreman Lu by his belt. His face was pulp, and four fingers were cut off. I think the thieves went after his ring."

"Cut the crap—where is he?" Zuo Shangdang snapped, his voice breaking.

"Oh, uh—he’s already been taken to the hospital. Someone’s gone to notify his family. We were just about to report it to the police."

Zuo Shangdang’s heart sank. "Don’t!"

"Why?" Hearing Zuo Shangdang's urgent refusal, Lao Liu and Lao Gai exchanged puzzled glances.

Zuo Shangdang forced an awkward smile. "No, I mean I'll handle this. I'll file a report with the police. You two head back to work—leave this to me."

Lao Liu and Lao Gai nodded in understanding.

"Alright, we got it."

They’d gotten it wrong. With such a serious incident at the site, how could Zuo possibly cover it up? This was life-or-death shit.

After speaking with the two workers, Zuo Shangdang hurried toward the hospital, stumbling along, a complete mess.

Report to the police?

No, absolutely not.

How would that even go? That his eldest son tried to kill his youngest? That he had two wives? That his sons were out for blood? And then send his eldest to be executed?

Early that morning, that little shit Zuo Zuying had already claimed it was Jin'an who struck first—and that he’d even sent people to capture Jing Huan, who had been shot and was still in the hospital.

If he filed a report, that little beast Zuo Zuying would get hauled in, and Hou Li and Jing Huan would surely drag Jin'an down with them. Jin'an would go down with him.

Besides, he couldn’t let Hou Li’s crew and Lu Yazhi’s turn into mortal enemies.

There was another concern weighing on him.

Zuo Zuying might be a selfish screw-up, but he was still his own flesh and blood. Though he favored Lu Jin'an more, he wasn’t about to get his own kid killed.

More importantly, Jin'an’s condition was still unknown. If he was permanently disabled and Zuo Zuying was locked up, wouldn’t that mean Zuo Shangdang would end up with no one to carry on his name?

So, no matter how he looked at it, filing this report with the police was absolutely out of the question—at least not now!

By the time Zuo Shangdang reached the hospital, Lu Yazhi, Su Jiao, and Ai Xiaoqing were already waiting outside the operating room.

Lu Yazhi sat on a bench, sobbing her heart out, while Ai Xiaoqing, red-eyed, comforted her with tender words—every few words peppered with low blows at Su Jiao.

Su Jiao stood nearby, her face dark and her head lowered, her thoughts racing.

She had seen what Lu Jin'an looked like just now.

Her polished, charming Jin'an—the guy she’d thought would give her the perfect life after marriage.

Instead, she had married into what she thought was a wealthy family, only to find she had not a dime to her name. The refined Jin'an had changed completely—now icy or outright abusive, often teaming up with others to bully her.

That kind, saintly mother-in-law? A blubbering idiot, good for nothing.

And then there was that bastard Zuo Nanfu, and her blind, foolish father-in-law, Zuo Shangdang.

This year, a no-good crippled slut had also shown up.

Now even Jin'an had turned into a fucking monster—mangled and broken.

Honestly? The more she thought about it, the more she felt Ai Xiaoqing and Lu Jin'an were made for each other.

Why not just let them be together?

She hasn't had any children yet, so what if she's been married once?

It would be better to find another divorced man later than to serve a family full of blind, disabled, and unattractive people.

No, she needs to hurry back and discuss this with her mother.

Ai Xiaoqing held Lu Yazhi's arm with reddened eyes and said, "Auntie, don't cry. If Jin'an knew, he'd be heartbroken, and it would break my heart too.

I know you're worried about Jin'an, but we shouldn't bother him right now. See how composed Jiao Jiao is—even though she must be extremely worried inside, she's putting on a brave face. We should learn from Jiao Jiao."

Lu Yazhi looked at Su Jiao with displeasure.

But Su Jiao couldn't be bothered arguing with Ai Xiaoqing now. She no longer wanted Lu Jin'an.